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One of the best ways to endear yourself to modern Lakers fans is to bury one of the team’s rivals in either the Celtics or Clippers. Newly-acquired Laker Patrick Beverley, an expert in pandering, needed one press conference to accomplish that task.
On Tuesday, Beverley was officially introduced as a Laker and officially became a Laker at the same time by slandering the Clippers.
Patrick Beverley on going from playing for the Clippers to the Lakers: “Very different. Night and day. Walking around the city, you almost get a different respect.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 6, 2022
If you thought Beverley was going to have any type of loyalty toward the Clippers, you must not be familiar with his game. This isn’t necessarily a slight at PatBev, but more of an observation of his personality. When he’s your teammate, he’s fiercely loyal. When he’s not on your team, there are probably different adjectives fans would use to describe him.
PatBev was asked about his reputation as someone people love playing with and hate playing against.
Is Pat Beverley the type of player you hate playing against but love having on your team?
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) September 6, 2022
“I don’t know. I haven’t been my teammate,” he said at his introductory press conference. “I gusss that’s what people say. If you’ve been around me, you know I’m all about winning.”
Even for as much of a villain role as PatBev has played in his career and, specifically, against the Lakers, it’s not hard to see how he will quickly become a fan favorite for the purple and gold. Every stop Beverley has had, he’s endeared himself to the fans both in the way he plays and the quotes he gives and the Lakers aren’t going to be any different.
When it comes to his specific quotes about being a Laker vs. being a Clipper, it’s one of the unspoken things that PatBev simply said aloud. No matter how much better the Clippers may be as a team or how much better run they may be as an organization, Los Angeles is always going to be a Lakers town.
There is a foundation of over 30 years of success from the Lakers before the Clippers ever truly became relevant. And even in the recent span when the Clippers have been the more relevant side, the Lakers have more titles.
Being a Laker carries a different weight than being a Clipper. It’s the facts even if it’s a hard pill to swallow. PatBev is speaking the truth, and he’s earning kudos from the Lakers fans in the process.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
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